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Victorino to bat righty the rest of the way

Victorino to bat righty the rest of the way

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Victorino's RBI double 0:59

10/16/13: Shane Victorino rips a double to left to score Jacoby Ellsbury, cutting the deficit to 7-2 in the seventh

By Ian Browne and Jason Mastrodonato
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MLB.com |

BOSTON -- Right fielder Shane Victorino, invaluable to the Red Sox all season, has been mired in a slump for the first five games of the American League Championship Series (2-for-21, nine strikeouts).

In Game 5 he thought that batting left-handed -- something he hardly did at all over the last three months of the season -- might help.

It didn't, so he indicated that he will stay on the right side for the rest of the postseason.

"I've faced [Game 5 starter Anibal] Sanchez so many times in Miami, and I've had success. I thought maybe I would try it," Victorino said. "It's just hard. I haven't done it in so long. I felt comfortable, and I saw the ball, but the fact is, where the swing is at, I thought I was trying to rush to get everything. I'm not saying it's any better on the right side, but I'm going to focus on hitting righty, just ride it out and focus on that."